208: After the Battle

"Alright, the fight is over. I'll take control of the powered suit from here."

"Understood. For safety's sake, I'll remain seated in the cockpit for now."

"Good point. Depending on how things go, we might need to call on Vee for assistance."

The battle against Shuu Suumeree has ended.

At least on the surface.

So, to be certain that the battle had truly ended, I used suitable mods to carefully check the surrounding area and the anomaly space, making sure there were no traces of Shuu Suumeree left.

Also, now that I had some spare capacity, I took a moment to check the views from both the greenhouse and the main body, and saw that Mekoshi and Joharis were working on something near the cockpit.

"By the way, what are Mekoshi and Joharis doing?"

"We used Satā's camouflage to neutralize Shū Shūmerē's vision-dependent attack before. They helped with the calculations and reflections for that."

"Ahh, I see."

It seems that the successful use of real-time changing camouflage to deceive Shū Shūmerē's vision wasn't solely due to Vilijanira's efforts, but also relied on the support of Memokushi and Joharis.

Now that I think about it, just as a precaution, Memokushi had a dedicated port in the cockpit for connecting to other machines, and since Joharis appears to possess various technical skills, it wouldn't be surprising if they contributed their expertise as well.

Since I was blocking the transfer through the alternate dimension, the observation via the 'Hisonkyō' could be slightly relaxed without any major issues... Yeah, that makes sense.

"But we did make a big hole in the 'Jichikaneto' barrier... Shouldn't we expect some sort of bill or reprimand for that later?"

From a tactical standpoint, the damage inflicted on 'Jichikaneto' and the soldiers was unavoidable, so I don't think the consequences will fall on us. After all, it was just the platform I destroyed—rather, it was more accurate to say I was the one who damaged it, not Satā...

Then that's fine.

Our surroundings are gradually becoming a bit more noisy.

It's unclear whether anyone is still alive, but rescue operations for survivors have begun, bodies of the deceased are being collected, and efforts to assess the extent of the damage are underway.

Since silently leaving from here seems likely to cause unnecessary trouble, I slowly glide through the air toward the platform.

"Actually, now that I think about it, this aerial movement is pretty convenient, isn't it? You can move freely in any direction—up, down, left, right, forward, or backward—and if needed, you can project virtual footholds onto the soles of your feet or the tips of your tendrils, making acceleration and deceleration easy."

"Sounds like it's using some kind of gravity manipulation mod. If you're saying that, then all the years of using it, refining it, and optimizing it have definitely paid off."

"By the way, is it possible for ordinary people to carry this on a personal, portable scale?"

"It was shelved at Seiryō Corporation due to energy and processing issues. Someone might still be researching it now... but probably not anytime soon?"

And then we arrived at the platform.

Now, approaching us... a squad in powered suits is coming closer.

Also, due to differences in internal structure and design, each powered suit is at least one head taller than me.

Hmm, even though I'm fine with the damage caused by 'Jichikane-to,' I wonder if I'll get criticized—something like, 'You could have minimized the damage more.'

I don’t think you need to worry. Shuu Suumeree’s combat ability was such that, if humans tried to interfere, it would put everyone in the Jichikane-to and the Sixth Primordial Colony in danger. Given that Satā had sealed off the transfer in the first place, it was impossible to defeat him—so if someone dares complain here, you can just laugh at them.

"What about the body? They'll probably say we couldn't leave it behind."

"If someone were to say that, that person would definitely need a thorough physical examination. Magatsuki, the predecessor of Shu Suumere, had the ability to brainwash and control anyone they touched. No one can say for certain that Shu Suumere doesn't possess the same ability. It's clear there's a risk of becoming the next Shu Suumere just by touching a corpse."

"I see. Then, if anyone says anything, I'll just respond with something like that."

"Yes, I'm fine. If needed, I'll speak up too. What I said earlier was a logical rebuttal, but ethically speaking, counterarguments are equally straightforward."

I brace myself, expecting some sort of objection...

Hmm, seems okay.

Vilijanira is genuinely considering my point of view.

That said...

"Are you Satā Sētekus?"

"Yes, that's correct."

Thank you for your cooperation. I apologize for the inconvenience, but could you please accompany us for a brief inquiry?

"Hmm. What exactly would you like to know?"

"We'd like to hear about the progression of the battle. To be honest, given that the opponent was a space monster, our Imperial Army's investigation alone might have missed some crucial details, so we're eager to gather as much information as possible."

"I see."

"Satā. Please accompany me. It's the proper course. However, for the record, please note my name."

"I understand. I've received permission from my employer, Viscount Vilijanira Bananagengroot, so I'll be accompanying you."

"Thank you."

Yeah, I knew it.

A soldier who arrives here first thing wouldn't say something so odd.

With that, I followed the military personnel who had come to pick me up and left the scene.